Easy German Spaetzle are ready in only 15 minutes and make a great side for all dishes served with a sauce!
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT10M
Total time: PT15M
Rating
4.94 stars (203 reviews)
Keywords
Spaetzle
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
8 large eggs
¾ cup milk (or water)
Categories
Side Dish
Cuisine
German
Steps
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, milk, and salt. Stir until the batter is well combined and develops bubbles. You can also use a mixer. The batter should neither be too thin nor too thick or it will be difficult to make the spaetzle with your spaetzle maker. Let the batter sit for 5-10 min.
Put a colander into a bowl to drain the Spaetzle once cooked and bring a large pot of water over high heat to a boil, add about 1 Tbsp of salt to the water, and reduce temperature to a simmer.
Press batter through a spaetzle maker, a large holed sieve or colander into the simmering water.
Work in batches, after using about 1/3 of the batter stop adding new spaetzle and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Stir occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the spaetzle to the colander so that excess water can drip off.
Serve the spaetzle immediately or saute them in butter to crisp them up a little. If you don't serve or saute them right away, add 1 or 2 Tbsp of butter to the hot spaetzle to prevent them from sticking together.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 296 kcal
Carbohydrates: 48 g
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 164 mg
Sodium: 940 mg
Reviews
Laura Sullivan on 2026-01-28 (5 stars): Easy and delicious for Soups and Stews.
Molly B. on 2025-10-29 (5 stars): Finally, I can serve great German food with this recipe. So, easy, too!
Susan H on 2025-10-28 (5 stars): What a delightful and simple recipe! I was making stroganoff for dinner last night and realized that I forgot to pick up egg noodles from the grocery store. I thought, I can just make some or better yet, I can make spaetzle! I searched the internet for top rated recipes and found yours. I cut the recipe in half which was perfect for 3-4 people. This was my first time making spaetzle but it won’t be the last! I had to search for the perfect item to push the batter through since my colander has slits rather than holes. I found that my rice cooker steamer basket was the perfect option. I coked the spaetzle in 3 batches. It was so good with stroganoff and a breeze to make. I also appreciate the tip about washing the batter dishes and utensils in cold water. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Thomas on 2025-10-02 (5 stars): I've been using this recipe for a while now and like a fool I bought a press from Walmart.
Here's the thing though, the press itself it great but for this sized batch you want to use a much deeper pot that's only filled with about 3 inches of water. What happens is it can trap the heat in if you set it on top of the pot which causes the water/bubbles to rise and if it comes in contact with the press, it immediately cooks the batter causing it to clog up.
SO! What I do now is hold the press with one hand and the other side resting on the pot. This can become tiring though, so I "milk it down" by going up to 1 cup of milk. The drawback is that this can make it break apart if you vigorously stir in the butter at the end. But it does help make the batter flow across the press easier.
If you're using the rectangular presses that resemble a Mandolin (cutter/shredder) you can get by just fine with less milk. The trick is to just make sure whatever press you're using does not get too hot due to steam.
Alisa Edmonds on 2025-09-22 (5 stars): Very good and easy to make. I didn't have a Spaetzle maker so I just cut mine off a spoon. Tastes good. Not pretty. Who cares.
Kelly Lilley on 2025-08-25 (5 stars): This is a beautiful recipe that came out perfect to taste just like my husbands German grandmother's spaetzle. I have been looking for years to find a recipe as good as this one, but they always fall short. Thank you for sharing yours.
Robert Eich on 2025-06-23 (5 stars): I think my batter was a little too thick as it was hard to push through the colander, but I know for next time to add a little more milk. The spaetzle tasted great added to some sauteed onions and butter. I will be making this again.
Paul on 2025-05-16 (5 stars): Best I have made. I have tried many. I think all those eggs are reason this works so well.
Sarah on 2025-03-21 (5 stars): Thanks for guding me through my first spaetxle effort! No spaetzele maker but the colander and silicone scraper did the trick! Thanks!!
Carole on 2025-03-13 (5 stars): Quick, easy and delicious!
Jay on 2025-03-08 (5 stars): The best
Robert Werdan on 2025-02-21 (5 stars): I have made Spaetzla for decades and this recipe is the best. The extra eggs make it easier to work with and more flavorful. I recommend adding a generous amount of butter after removing them from the boiling water, then frying them in a skillet until you get a little brown crunch on some of the edges. You can also transport them to holiday parties and just reheat them in a skillet.
Joel on 2025-01-30 (5 stars): I followed this recipe exactly, except my wife can’t tolerate gluten so I substituted it with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I used a spatula to push the batter through a potato masher based on some other users ideas, and it worked easily and beautifully! The spaetzle was amazing and the whole family absolutely loved it! Great recipe!
